Nursing homes find mixed bag in Obama's proposed budget

Obama opens the door for drastic new Medicare, Medicaid cuts for nursing homes

Nursing
home operators are praising President Obama's proposed 2010 budget
for provisions that would help educate and train nurses. But they
fear that other parts, including those that call for “bundling”
of some Medicare funding for post-acute care, will be harmful. Obama
said the goal of bundled payments is to lower hospital readmission
rates.

“Upon
closer objective examination, we believe this measure may have
negative, unintended consequences on our patients, our front line
care staff, and the long-term care sector itself,” said Bruce
Yarwood, CEO of the American Health Care Association, the largest
nursing home association in the United States. “Much important work
remains to be done.”

Larry
Minnix, the CEO of the American Association of Homes and Services for
the Aging, highlighted another part of the budget: a proposal to
allocate
$1 billion “to capitalize and launch the Affordable Housing Trust
Fund to develop, rehabilitate and preserve affordable housing and
increased funding for the project-based rental assistance program to
preserve 1.3 million affordable rental units will help moderate
income elders find and keep a place to call home.”

Both
leaders said late last week that many aspects of the immense budget
document still needed to be clarified.

The
latest Medicare and Medicaid developments, including the most vital
upcoming issues for providers, will be discussed at a McKnight's
webcast March 26. The session begins at 1 p.m. (Eastern) and is free
– with the added bonus of a free continuing education credit for
those who apply for it. To register, go to www.mcknights.com/expo.

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